Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-11-17
HE TELLS A THRILLINo TALE
OF AN ENCOUNTER WITH
A LOT OF aYPsIEs.
One of Hls Assaifanta Shot an the
Arm, but Milligan Worsted-
Letter to His Wife.

Pine Bluff, a town overa hundred
miles northeast of Lewisville,
showing that Milligan is working
his way homeward. The second
states that he has secured
work in Pine Bluff, by which he is
earning his board. Immediately
on receipt of the information, John
IL. Robinson, a brother-in-law of
Milligan, determined to go to Ar
kansas and make a thorough in
vestigation and see if the parties
connected with the outrage cannot
be found. Mr.. Robinson left this
city at midnight last night for Pine
Bluff, by way of St. Louis. Fol-
lowing is the first letter from Mil
ligan to his wife, in full:
LEw1svILLE, ARK, Nov. 10.-My
darling wife and boys: I know that
you will not know what to think
when l write you that I am away
down here so far from home and
those that | love better than my
own life, so / will tell you as much
as I can. On the Wednesday after
you left when l went to the house |
saw what I took to be a tramp try
ing to get in, and he was opening
the kitchen door. l made him get
out and as he did not want to go /
sent him off with a kick or two, and
he went off swearing vengeance
against me, and that he would not
come back by himself. All the rest
of the day 1 felt uneasy and could
not get rid of the feeling that he
might do some harm and thought it
best to stay at home, but when
night came | felt SO uneasy that
when l got the churning done l
wrote you a letter SO that if any
thing happened you would know
the cause. Then I felt so lone
some, and, although it was after 8
O'Clock, l put on my good clothes
and was asking our Father in
heaven to watch over all and then
to go to Clines and stay all night
when / heard some one coming up
stairs and just as 1 got to the old
clock and got the pistol the door
burst open and three men in their
sock feet grabbed me, but not be-
fore I put bullet in the arm of
one, when they tied and gagged me
and then went through the house,
but did not take anything but some
of my warmest and best clothes,
including my overcoat and gum
coat, also over nineteen dollars
that I had in my pocket. Then
they took the gag out of my mouth
and asked me what / had to say.
| begged them in the name of God
and all [ held most dear to leave
me alone ,andI told them they could
take the money, but the one that
put me out of the house told me
that he was the headman of a gang
of Gypsies, and to pay me back
swore that he would take me along
with them to their camp in Arkan-
sas, and when he got ready would
turn me loose and then 1 could
make my way home the best way I
could. One of them was a young
fellow about my size, and they sent
him with my bundle of clothes to
take the train in Mexico and meet
them south of St. Louis. I was
put in a light wagon with the other
two, and was drugged with some
thing, and when I came to my SEN
ses was by the river. AS 1 heard
them talking / heard that the rest
of the gang had not got here yet
and that they would not wait for
them, but would take the cars and
go to their camp in this State. Then
they made me take some kind of a
drug that made me almost insen.
sible, but still could walk with
their help. We got down here last
night, and they left me here under
the influence of the drug, and
did not come to myself until
o'clock to-day. am here trying
to find were their camp is, but no.
body can tell me anything about
them, so / can't tell what te
do. If / could get on their track
l would put them through, but
can't do anything for | don't know
where to go. They put one dollar
in my pocket and that is all l have
to live on, and there is no work t.
do here, all the work is done BY
negroes. / am nearly crazy to SCI
you and home, and / pray God t.
help you in your anxiety, and t.
help me to get home some way
soon. / would not for the worlt
go through again with the last tel
days of my life. l can't bear t,
think of what might have happened
since | was dragged away from al
that ] hold most dear in the world
| know that you must be almos
wild to know what has become o
me, and / have told you all that
can until / see you, which | hop,
and pray may be soon. / am go
ing to try and walk to Pine Bluff
in this State, and it will take ifteel
dollars to take me home from
there, and if you carr possibly ge
it, send it to Pine Bluff, Arkan
sas; send it by money orde
payable to me. If you can get j
send as soon rs you al and let mt
hear from you at the same time ant
place. IF you cam get the none,
write to me TO the same place. /
any one had told me that such
thing could have happened in God
country / would not have believed
it. But it is true all the same
strange as it may appear. / know
that you can hardly believe what
have wrote. but if you don't | cam
help it. The devil that brough
me here had the goodness to Civ,
me all my clothes that he had. S.
| have them and one dollar out o
what he stole. Il is time to mai
this and [ hope and pray God tina
he will watch over and keep yo,
from harm. The letter that I wrot.
I SIo -I9 .. = Il